Is MLS plan to follow minor league model?

By Robert Wagman
SoccerTimes

(Friday, November 13, 1998) -- To me, one of the most interesting statements
to come out of MLS Cup í98 was not contained in any of the releases or press
conferences. Instead, it came from an offhand remark made by Major League Soccer
commissioner Doug Logan to the Los Angeles Times as part of a "state of
the league" interview.

Logan told the Times that MLS fans have to realize that soccer in this country
will never attain the popularity of baseball, football or basketball. But, he
predicted, with a little luck, and if everyone has patience, a decade from now
MLS will be well established and might enjoy popularity greater than, say, the
National Hockey League.

The interview came amid the news that MLS lost about $20 million this season.
Despite the fact the league continues to hemorrhage red ink, its major investors
are prepared to pony up another $100 million, or so, to which should sustain it
for another few years.

It was also announced that Philip Anschutzís Anschutz Sports has purchased the
Los Angeles Galaxy for a record $26 million. This means Anschutz effectively
owns a quarter of the League, three franchises: L.A., Chicago and Colorado.

The money guys behind MLS, are not soccer nuts; in fact, most admit to barely
understanding the game. They are, however, astute businessmen, so there must be
some degree of reason behind their willingness to put fresh millions behind
millions already spent. Which takes us back to the Los Angeles Times interview.

Logan lamented the demise of the old North American Soccer League, which he
attributed to the huge salaries that were paid big name stars. He vowed that
MLS would never fall into that trap. Instead he said: "If we do our job right
in developing American players or if we offer a place for players from, say,
the West Indies, to come and showcase their wares and become visible, then we
become a net seller of players rather than a net buyer and that is interesting
from a business standpoint."

Whoa! Let me repeat the key words here: "net seller of players."

Just to make sure he had not been misquoted or misunderstood I asked Logan to
confirm what he had said. He did so readily, saying "from a business standpoint
it only makes sense."

It does make a lot of sense financially. Look at just one Italian team, Lazio.
It spent more than $100 million acquiring only seven players this season. With
clubs all over Europe paying multi-million dollar transfer fees seemingly every
day, it would only make good business sense for MLS to want a piece of this
very lucrative action.

From a fanís standpoint, however, it means something quite different. It means
that what MLS wants to become, quietly, in its heart of hearts, is a
developmental league, albeit, on a high-class one.

Perhaps the model is the Dutch first division. Football in the Netherlands is
very good. It is often hard fought and competitive, and most of its teams draw
crowds about what the Galaxy and Revolution draw.

It is, however, despite sides like Ajax and PSV, a clear cut below the top
divisions in Germany, Italy, Spain, England. Every year Dutch teams sell
players on the international market, many of them Dutch, but many from
countries like Denmark and Sweden who they had acquired as youths. In turn,
the Dutch clubs use some of that money to acquire new, young players, or to
further support their acclaimed youth and developmental programs. The rest goes
into the bank, making Dutch teams some of the more profitable in Europe.

MLS is not there yet. Maybe an Eddie Pope, Ben Olsen, Stern John, or Josh
Wolff will be the start. Certainly from the players perspective, and from the
national team perspective, this will be a positive thing

But back to what this means to fans of MLS clubs. It means that should this
plan come to fruition, you will have to approach your teams much the way fans
of minor league baseball, or hockey teams approach theirs: love your teams but
donít get too close to any player, especially if he is young and good, because
tomorrow, or next season, he likely will be gone.

Bob Wagman wrote a nationally syndicated political column for Scripps-Howard
for many years. At the same time he has covered soccer in North America for
British and South African newspapers since the days of the North American Soccer
League. His "Football In America" column now appears regularly in British
newspapers. He can be e-mailed at
MobileWag@aol.com.